The Wilmington College men’s soccer team begins its 2024 season 7 p.m. tonight at Townsend Field against the Mount St. Joseph University Lions.
The Quakers have battled the Lions five times since 2012 and are 4-0-1 with their most recent win being a 12-2 victory on Sept. 22, 2022.
A Look Back
After a run to the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) Championship game during the 2022 season, the Quakers had a disappointing 2023 campaign. They finished 4-11-2 and 3-5-1 in the OAC.
However, Wilmington did make a late push at the OAC Tournament, dominating Muskingum University and Heidelberg University in consecutive 5-1 victories to close out the season. This wasn’t enough though as the team just found themselves on the outside looking in at the OAC Tournament with a seventh-place conference finish.
Key Pieces Lost
The Quakers have a handful of players no longer with the program and had two graduating seniors. Andre Hagborg started all 17 games last season for Wilmington on defense and was named third team All-OAC.
They also lost their starting goalkeeper Thomas Grimes and will go into the season with a pair of freshmen manning the pipes for the Quakers.
Key Pieces Returning
Leading point and goal scorer Jackson Beske is back for his second year with the Quakers after a seven goal, one assist performance last season. Kaden Young led the team in assists with six and was second with 10 points, as he returns for his junior campaign.
Third Team All-OAC player William Jansson will look to improve on his three goal and two assist season in 2023, as seven of his eight points came in conference play.
Defenders
The Quakers have five returning defenders, and three that were starters. They will look to improve on a defense that allowed 38 goals last season, which was tied for fourth most in the OAC. There are two new defenders for the Quakers this season in Swedish players Robin Petrovic Adolfsson and Eric Wennstrom.
Returning Quakers that look to anchor the defense are junior Connor Neidemire, along with seniors Luke Washenfelder and Peyton Tennis.
Midfielders
Wilmington returns a wealth of midfielders, while also losing a lot at the position. Team captain Alfie Harris and Aidan Barnishin will be tasked with shoring up the midfield for the Quakers this season. Harris had one assist in 2023, while Barnishin scored one goal.
With their depth at the position, Wilmington only brought in one new midfielder in Gavin Murray out of Archbishop McNicholas High School, but Ohio Dominican University transfer Jace Houck will also look to be a major part of the Quakers midfield success this season.
Forwards
As mentioned, the Quakers did return two of their best goal scorers from last season, but certainly lost some heavy hitters at the position.
They brought in several forwards, including Malone University transfer Randy Harris and high school standout Parker Burke, along with three other freshmen. In three years as a Pioneer, Harris scored five goals while dishing out two assists. Burke comes to Wilmington from nearby Xenia and Legacy Christian Academy.
The Quakers will look to Young and Beske to lead the way but are excited for the potential of this group from other returners and newcomers. Wilmington High School graduate Jose Morales, the SBAAC American Division player of the year, had 30 goals and 67 points last season for the Hurricane.
Goalkeepers
After talking with head coach Cory Bucur, the goalkeeper competition has been fierce in the preseason between freshmen Cameron Weirather and Oliver Metz. Weirather comes to Wilmington from Canal Winchester High School, while Metz is out of Trondheim, Norway. While both look to garner playing time throughout the season, Metz will begin the season in goal for Wilmington.
From Coach Bucur
“We have been waiting to get the fall of 2024 kicked off since the last regular season game of 2023. We were extremely disappointed to not make the OAC tournament after making the finals in 2022, so we put a lot of effort into our spring season planning and recruiting to put ourselves in the best position to not let that happen again. We have a lot of returners with varsity experience, such as captain Alfie Harris, leading goal scorer Jackson Beske, leading assist provider in Kaden Young, and a strong sophomore class hoping to make a jump this year. Our freshmen class and two transfers have great backgrounds and have impressed during our preseason camp. We can’t wait for the season to officially kickoff against Mount St. Joseph (Friday) night!”
What to Watch For
During the Quakers non-conference schedule, they face several Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) opponents along with making a trip to Centre College for the 35th annual Bob Allen Nissan Classic, that will also see them battle Spalding University.
They begin OAC play with a pair of home games against Heidelberg University (Oct. 5) and Muskingum University (Oct. 9). The Quakers senior day opponent is the John Carroll University Blue Streaks on Oct. 26, as they play them for the final time in conference play before John Carroll leaves the OAC after this season.
